Gamers Association’s Mass Effect 4 Wishlist

Mass Effect 4 (or whatever it is going to be called) is starting to appear on the horizon. Last week, the Executive Producer of the next Mass Effect game, Casey Hudson, asked his Twitter followers what they wanted to see in the game. Today, it has been announced that Mass Effect 4 will utilize the gorgeous Frostbite 2 engine. It was also announced that the team at BioWare Montreal will be the heading the development (BioWare Edmonton headed the development of the first three games in the series). With a new engine and a new development team, Mass Effect 4 is going to be a big step for the Mass Effect franchise. Naturally, the editors here at Gamers Association have some ideas for what needs to be in Mass Effect 4.

Nick Cane:

“First and foremost, the choices that players make in Mass Effect 4 need to actually matter. Although the first three Mass Effect games did this very well, there were still some hiccups. Mass Effect 4 needs to improve and expand on an already great system. It’s a large gamble, but truly different endings of the entire story would be great. If every game of the series ended differently, the permutations could become too great, but I’m sure the team at BioWare Montreal is up for the challenge.

Second, I’d like to see more melee weapons and options. There is something so nice about close and personal kills. I might be in the minority here, but I’ll take an energy blade over an energy gun any day of the week.

Third, a larger focus on vehicles. Again, this is something that is already done pretty well. But space ships, man — Spaceships are the key to success. Perhaps a space battle? Yeah, definitely a space battle.

Other than that, keep on doing what you do, Mass Effect. Can’t wait.”

Jay Curtis:

“I would love to see Mass Effect 4 be more of an emotional experience than previous games in the series. Throughout the series, many of the character deaths were not moving at all. I’m not saying that I want to be crying every time one of my squadmates dies, but I want the other characters in the game to really be affected by the deaths of their friends. I would love to see characters that players could actually care about, and then better death scenes for those characters. Also, I would love to see Mass Effect 4 have a better protagonist than Shepard. We already know that Shepard will not be returning as the protagonist, but we don’t know anything about the protagonist. Obviously, each “Shepard” is different, but at the same time they are all very similar. I hope Mass Effect 4 has more customizable options for the protagonist than previous entries in the series.

The graphics and gunplay in the previous Mass Effect games were decent, but they trailed behind many other AAA titles. We know that the graphics are going to look much better due to the new engine, but we don’t know anything about the gunplay. I hope that the team at BioWare Montreal really tightens up and improves the gunplay. Also, the voice acting in the first three games in the series could really use some work. The voice acting isn’t bad, but it can’t stand up to most AAA games. I hope that voice acting in Mass Effect 4 is up to par with modern expectations.

If Mass Effect 4 has characters that players can actually care about, a more customizable protagonist, tighter gunplay, and strong voice acting, Mass Effect 4 could really be a moving, emotional game. The sky’s the limit for Mass Effect 4. Let’s hope that the team at BioWare Montreal can make something special.”

Luke Frazier:

“No more Shepard. We had our Shepard, we played with our Shepard, and we [NON-SPOILER ALERT] may or may not have killed our Shepard. He had a good run; let’s move on.

But to where, you ask? Ah, delightful question! A prequel seems like an obvious answer, but all of this The Old Republic business already beat Mass Effect to the sci-fi backstory punch. Future, then? Possibly…but why would you when the most attractive and ambitious approach is so much closer to home?

I’m speaking, of course, of going evil. Real evil. Not Jerk Renegade-But-Protecting-The-Galaxy Evil, not Cartoon Mean-To-Everyone-Just-Because Evil, but actual evil. Believable evil. Set in the very same universe we’re familiar with, and happening concurrently with Shepard’s adventures, Mr. Main Character is working toward everything our original hero was trying to stop. Whether an actual Reaper or merely working for them, you bring about some of the most catastrophic events from the original trilogy while still remaining far enough removed for it to be feasible to never meet the destined-for-greatness space man. And believability is the best part, showcasing another side of the Mass Effect story, a new perspective that actually makes sense within the eyes of the used-to-be opposition. To quote the greatest movie of all time that involves Yoda wielding a lightsaber against Darth Sidious, “To me the Jedi are evil.” Like that, without the lost-childhood angst and free from any sort of ludicrous George Lucas screenwriting. Go in evil, yet leave questioning who the bad guy really is.

Or turn Mass Effect 4 into a first-person shooter as EA’s attempt to take down Halo after it failed to dethrone Call of Duty. That’s bound to work, too.”

Andrew Moreno:

“One thing I want to see is Paragon and Renegade choices that actually take effect in a way, like pros and cons. For example, the ending doesn’t really explain what happens when you go down each path. If nothing else, I just want a more lucid and in-depth ending.”

Even if our hopes for Mass Effect 4 differ, we are all really excited to see what direction the franchise takes.